Draupadi was one of the bravest and strongest characters in the Mahabharat.Born with a fiery spirit, Draupadi demonstrated time and again that she had the courage to stand up for justice.
In one of the pivotal scenes of the Mahabharat, the malicious crown prince, Duryodhan, challenged Yudhishthir, the eldest Pandava, to a game of dice.Duryodhan used loaded dice and eventually won Yudhishthir’s wealth, belongings, kingdom, brothers, and even Yudhishthir himself. Yudhishthir then put Draupadi up at stake and lost the game again. Duryodhan’s brother, Dushasan, forcibly brought Draupadi to the court, dragging her by her hair. Draupadi was forced to listen to the insults of Duryodhan, Dushasan, Karna, and Shakuni. On Duryodhan’s order, Dushasan even attempted to disrobe her in front of everyone, but Shri Krishna protected her honor by providing her with an unending sari; as Dushasan unwrapped layers and layers of her sari, it miraculously kept getting extended.
In the entire court, Draupadi was the only person who was standing up for justice. She lashed out against the entire court, stupefying all with her logic. Draupadi challenged even the most elderly and respected people in the court. She spoke furiously and bluntly with the king, which even the court elders did not have the courage to do. She called upon everyone present to protect her and when no one answered her pleas, she prayed to Krishna and he protected her.
In her resolve to protect Dharma(rightful act), Draupadi vowed to keep her hair unkempt (which was considered undignified at that time) until she got the justice of Dharma.
